Flexible sample case for shoes and the like



May 18, 1943 J. FRANKLIN 2,319,497 FLEXIBLE SAMPLE CASE FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE Filed July 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l 2 [Z FIG.4. JOHN FRANKLIN Array/v5) May 18, 1943 J. FRANKLIN 2,319,497

FLEXiBLE SAMPLE CASE FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE Filed July 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN FRANKLIN INVENTOR.

May 18, 1943 J. FRANKLIN FLEXIBLE SAMPLE CASE FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE Filed July 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.1O

INVENTOR. JOHN FRANKLIN BY 60 /W Patented May 18, 1943 UNETED STAT E ATENT OFFICE FLEXIBLE SAM'PLE CASE FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE 12 Claims.

simple and economical in construction, which is m compact and will fit snugly and neatly within the carrying space of an automobile, which is substantially soft on its exterior or exposed surface and, therefore, will not damage, mar, or

abrade the upholstery of an automobile seat when carried thereon, which may be quickly and conveniently opened up on a counter or table for immediately displaying the merchandise samples in .a nove1 and attractive manner, thus entirely dispensing with the time-consuming and laborious task of removing the samples one at a time from a conventional type of sample case and individually placing the samples on a display table ,01 rack for inspection of the customer, which may be conveniently, quickly, and efficiently closed up and re-rolled after the samples have been inspected by the customer, which protects each individual sample from becoming scratched or damaged by contact with the other samples, and which is otherwise highly eflicient in the performance of its stated functions.

And with the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings (three sheets) "Figure 1 is a perspective. view in open condition of a sample carrying and display case constructed in accordance with and embodying my present along the lines 4 -4 and 55, respectively, Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a reduced perspective view of the case in folded and partially rolled condition;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the case in fully closed and rolled condition forconvenient portability and transportation;

Figure 8 is a perspective View of a modified form of sample case constructed in accordance with my presentinvention;

Figure 9 .is "a perspective view of a further modified form of sample case adapted for enclosing a single row of samples; and

Figure 10 is a transverse sectional view of the modified form of sample case illustrated in Figure 9, showing the manner'in which such case is folded up to enclose the samples.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate practical embodiments of the present invention, the sample and display'case A comprises a body-portion including an oblong-rectangular sheet or section I of suitable dimensions and constructed preferably of heavy canvas, awning-duck, or other suitably flexible fabric or cloth marginally hemmed, as at a, in any suitable or conventional manner and preferably, though not necessarily, provided upon its inner face with a facing or linin 2 of so e l g twe ht att acti e mate i for imparting a pleasing appearance to the case A when opened or unrolled for display purposes.

Disposed flatwise upon the enter face of the sheet I in spaced parallel relation to one transverse margin 3 thereof, is a cross-bar 4 covered with and secured in position by a concealing fabric trim-strip 5 marginally stitched or otherwise suitably attached to the section I, and riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the bar 4 through the covering-strip 5,' is a grip-member or handle 6. Also riveted or otherwise permanently fixed intermediate their ends to, and extending transversely across, the bar-member 4 and its covering-strip 5 upon opposite sides of the handle 6, is a pair of buckle straps I.

Forming part of the body-portion and seamed at respectiveside margins to and along the opposite longitudinal margins of the sheet or section l, are relatively narrow flexible extension-flaps or strips 8 formed of the same material as that of the section j and preferably faced or lined upon their inner faceto ,match the facing or lining 2 of the section I.

l o o ming ar O the bod ti n and similarly seamed or otherwise hingedly secured at respe t e sid ma ns t nd al ne t e m e lon udinal ma ins o t si S r p and extending therealong from a point approximately in line with the cross=bar 4 to a point spaced inwardly a short distance from the opposite transverse margin 3' of the sheet or section I, are side wings 9 likewise constructed of the same material as that of thesection j and marginally hemmed and lined upon their inner .faces to match the lining or facing 2 ,of the sheet or section I.

Extending transversely across the inner face of, and edgewise, as at 9, stitched for folding upon, each of the wings 9 in uniformly spaced parallel relation to each other, is a series or plurality of oblong-rectangular fabric partitionmembers or casings I each enclosing or housing a correspondingly oblong-rectangular rigid slat ll of wood, fibre, or the like. The so rigidified hinged partition-members I0 are approximately of the same width as that of the side strips 8 and have a length somewhat shorter than the width of the wings 9.

In addition, the several partition-members In of each series or of each wing 9 are connected to one another by a length of flexible tape I2, which is stitched or otherwise secured to the outer free corners of each partition-member Ill substantially in the manner best shown in Figure 1, so that, when the two end partition-members Iil of a series are disposed edgewise in vertically disposed or upright position with respect to their particular wing 9, the intermediate partitionmembers ID of the series will necessarily assume a similar and substantially parallel position.

The lining 2 of the sheet or section I is also provided upon its exposed face with a plurality of slightly raised cording strips I3, I l, which respectively extend in alignment with the partition members II] and lengthwise down the center of the section I for subdividing the upwardly presented or exposed face of the lining 2 into a plurality of rectangular compartments or boxes b readily visible for facilitating the placing of the'several samples in packing the sample case or wrapper A.

In use, the wrapper A is opened up substantially in the manner shown in Figure 1 and laid or disposed fiatwise upon a table, floor, or other supporting surface and the housed merchandise, such as, for instance, shoes 8, are placed upon the section I and in the several spaces or boxes b. The partition-members I0 are then manually brought into upright position, and, while the rigidified casings II] are disposed in perpendicular relation to the wing members 9, the latter are folded or swung into overlying position in relation to the placed samples or shoes 8, in which operation the side wall strips 8 take an upright position to the sheet I, as best seen in FiguresB, 4, and 5. The free end-portion of the section I adjacent the transverse margin 3' is then folded over and upon the wings 9, as at d, as best seen in Figure 6, and such folded over process continued until the entire wrapper or case A is rolled up, in which condition it may be securely held by buckling the straps I, substantially in the manner shown in Figure 7.

It should be noted in this connection that the wrapper or case A, merely by variation in dimensions and number of partition strips or casings I0, may be readily accommodated for carrying either mens, womens, or childrens shoes, or, for that matter, any other type of sample merchandise, such as, for instance, hardware items, toys, and the like. In any event, the height of the side wall members 8 and the distance between the partition-members ll! are selected with reference to the size of the particular samples or merchandise to be transported and displayed, so that the several samples are held fairly snugly within the respective compartments when the section I is in closed or rolled condition.

' When the salesman is interviewing a particular customer, the wrapper or case A may be table and the straps I unbuckled, permitting the wrapper or case A to be quickly rolled out along the counter or table and the wings 9 manually swung upwardly and outwardly and permitted to hang freely over the edges of the table, the partition-members III falling inwardly of their own weight into more or less flattened out condition upon the lined face of the wings 9, substantially as shown in Figure 2, leaving the shoes s or other merchandise freely and plainly displayed directly in front of the customer. Thus it will be evident that, as soon as opened, the wrapper or case A automatically, as it may be said, displays the samples 8 in an attractive, sales-compelling manner.

The carrying and displaying wrapper or case of my invention thus entirely eliminates the time-consuming and back-breaking operation of opening up a sample line, which conventionally today, so far as I am aware, involves opening up an unattractive valise, sample case, or box andindividually removing each sample and separately setting up the same in a display arrangement upon a counter, table, or the like. By my new wrapper or case, not only are the samples s displayed in a readily accessible, attractive, and novel manner before the customer, but, in addition, the customers time and patience are economized by the speed with which the wrapper or case A may be opened and the energies of the salesman, which were formerly consumed to a great extent in the physical manipulation of samples, may thus be devoted to the more productive purpose of discussing and selling the actual merchandise. Finally, when the particular group of samples contained in a particular sample wrapper or case A has been discussed and presented to the customer and the salesman has finished with it, the Wrapper or case A may be closed and rolled up in a simple, speedy manner.

I may also provide a modified form of wrapper or case A, as shown in Figure 8, which is substantially similar in all respects to the previously described wrapper or case A except that the wings 9' are plain-faced and the swingable separating partitions III are mounted in two transversely aligned series upon the inner face of the lining 2' of the main panel or sheet I and connected by tapes I2. In use, the shoes or other sample merchandise must, of course, be lifted from between the partitions III and the latter permitted to fall downwardly upon the face of the lining 2.

Similarly I may provide a further modified form of sample wrapper or case A", including a main section or sheet I" having a lining 2" and being substantially similar in construction to the sheet I of the Wrapper or case A except that it is only half as wide. 'Along its longitudinal margin, the sheet I" is provided with side-wall forming members 8", which are, in turn, marginally provided with side-wings 9". One of the side-wings 9 is plain-faced, while the other is provided with partitions Ill constructed in the manner previously described and likewise connected by a tape I2".' For convenience, the upper face of the lining 2" is provided with a plurality of raised divisionmarking tapes or cords I 3", all as best seen in Figure 9. In use; shoes or other samplemerchandise is placed in the single-row wrapper A" and the wings 9'f folded over, as'shown in Figure 10. Thereupon the wrapper or case A" may be rolled in the usual mannerand-secured by a single buckle-strap 1",

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the wrapper or case may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described provided they do not depart from the scope of the appended claims,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A sample-carrying and display wrapper including a main panel hingedly provided alon itslongitudinal margins with laterally extending wings, and a plurality of rigid partition-forming members hingedly mounted at a side margin on the inner face of each of the wings for holding said wings in outwardly spaced parallel relation to the main panel when the wings are swung into overlying relation thereof, said partitionmembers further subdividing the space between such wings and main panel into a plurality of compartrnents'for housing sample shoes.

2. A sample-carrying and display wrapper including a main panel hingedly provided alon its longitudinal margins with laterally extending wings, a plurality of partition-forming members hingedly mounted at a side margin on the inner face of each of the wings for holding said wings in outwardly spaced parallel relation to the main panel when the wings are swung into overlying relation thereto, said partition-members further subdividing the space between such wings and main panel into a plurality of openended compartments for receiving sample shoes, and a flexible connecting member secured to the respective free margins of and extending between the several partition-members of each 1 wing for causing the connected partition-members to swing simultaneously and in parallelism with each other, said connecting member being adapted to extend across the open ends of the compartments for preventing the shoes from accidentally falling out of their respective compartments.

3. A merchandise-sample carrying-and-display case comprising, in combination, a bodyportion including a flexible main panel and opposed laterally extending flexible wings, the

latter having connection with the main panel for folding thereover and the body-portion being adapted for rolling into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of merchandise samples, and a plurality of partition-members connected swingably to the body-portion for disposition between the housed samples for separating the same one from the other when the body-portion is in rolled carrying condition and for disposition approximately flatwise upon the body-portion when the latter is in unrolled display condition.

4. A merchandise-sample carrying-and-display case comprising, in combination, a bodyportion including a flexible main panel, flexible side walls joined at one side margin to the opposite side margins of the main panel, and opposed laterally extending flexible wings, the latter being joined to the opposite margins of the side walls for folding over the main panel and the body-portion being adapted for rolling into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of samples, and a plurality of partition-members connected swingably to the body-portion for disposition between the samples for separating the same one from the other when the body-portion is in rolled carrying condition and for disposition approximately flatwise upon the body-portion when the same is in unrolled display condition.

5. A merchandise-sample carrying-and-display case comprising, in combination, a bodyportion including a flexible main panel, flexible side walls joined at one side margin to the opposite side margins of the main panel, and opposed laterally extending flexible wings joined to the opposite margins of the side walls, the main panel having flexible opposite end extensions, the side wings and end extensions being foldable over the main panel, and the body-portion being adapted for rolling into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of samples, and a plurality of partition-members connected swingably to the body-portion fordisposition between the samples for separating the same one from the other when the body-portion is in rolled carrying condition and for disposition approximately flatwise upon the body-portion when the same is in unrolled display condition.

6. A merohandise-sarnple carrying-and-dia play case comprising, in combination, a body portion including a flexible main panel, flexible side Walls joined at one side margin to the opposite side margins of the main panel, and opposed laterally extending flexible wings, latter being joined to the opposite margins of the side walls for folding over the main panel and the body-portion being adapted for rolling into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of samples, and a plurality of partition-members hingedly connected at a, side margin to, and disposed upon the inner face of, one of said wings for sidewise disposition; between such samples for separating the same one from the other when the body-portion is rolled carrying condition and for disposition approximately flatwise upon the wing when the body-portion is in'unrolled display condition. a

7. A merchandise-sample carrying-and-display case comprising, in combination, a body portion including a flexible main panel, flexible side walls joined at one side margin to the opposite side margins of the main panel, and opposed laterally extending flexible wings, the latter being joined to the opposite margins of the side walls for folding over the main panel and the body-portion being adapted for rolling-into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of rows of samples, and sets of partition-members hingedly connected at a respective side margin to, and disposed upon the inner face of, the respective wings for sidewise disposition between the samples of the respective rows for separating the same one from the other when the body-portion is in rolled carrying condition and for disposition approximately flatwise upon the respective wings when the body-portion is in unrolled display condition.

8. A merchandise-sample carrying-and-display case comprising, in combination, a bodyportion including a flexible main panel, flexible side walls joined at one side margin to the 0pposite side margins of the main panel, opposed laterally extending flexible wings joined to the opposite margins of the side walls, and flexible end-extensions on the main panel, the wings and end-extensions being foldable inwardly over the main panel and the body-portion being adapted for rolling into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of rows of samples, and sets of partition-members hingedly connected at a respective side margin to,'and disposed upon the inner face of, the respective wings for sidewise disposition between the samples of the respective rows for separating the same one from the other when the body-portion is in rolled carrying condition and for disposition approximately flatwise upon the respective wings when the body-portion is in unrolled display condition.

9. A merchandise-sample carrying-and-display case comprising, in combination, a body-portion including a flexible main panel, flexible side walls joined at one side margin to the opposite side margins of the main panel, opposed laterally extending flexible wings joined to the opposite margins of the side walls, and flexible end-extensions on the main panel, the wings and end-extensions being foldable inwardly over the main panel and the body-portion being adapted for rolling into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of rows of samples, sets of partition-members hingedly connected at a respective side margin to, and disposed upon the inner face of, the respective wings for sidewise disposition between the samples of the respective rows for separating the same one from the other when the body-portion is in rolled carrying condition and for disposition approximately flatwise upon the respective wings when the body-portion is in unrolled display condition, and means having connection with the body-portion for securing the same in rolled carrying condition.

10. A merchandise-sample carrying-and-display case comprising, in combination, an elongated sheet body-portion of flexible material adapted for rolling into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of merchandise samples, a series of substantially rigid partition-forming members swingably attached to the body-portion in spaced relation along the length of the sheet for disposition between the housed samples for separating the samples one from the other when the bodyportion is in rolled carrying condition and for discondition, and meansconnecting said members one to the other for unitary swingable movement.

11. A merchandise-sample carrying-and-display case comprising, in combination, an elongated sheet body-portion of flexible material adapted for rolling into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of merchandise samples, a series of substantially rigid partition-forming members swingably attached to the body-portion in spaced relation along the length of the sheet for disposition between the housed samples for separating the samples one from the other when the bodyportion is in rolled carrying condition and for disposition approximately flatwise upon the bodyportion when the latter is in unrolled display condition, and a flexible tape connecting said members for unitary swingable movement.

12. A merchandise-sample carrying-and-display case comprising, in combination, a bodyportion including a flexible main panel and 0pposed laterally extending flexible wings, the latter being joined to the opposite margins of the main panel and the body-portion being adapted for rolling into cylindrical form for housing a plurality of merchandise samples, means having connection with the main panel for dividing the area thereof into a plurality of compartments, and a plurality of rigid partition-members hingedly at a side margin connected to, and disposed upon the inner face of, one of said Wings for sidewise registration with the compartments for separating the housed samples one from the other when the body-portion is in rolled carrying condition and for disposition approximately flatwise upon the wing when the body-portion is in unrolled display condition.

JOHN FRANKLIN. 

